Classical music, folk, jazz, ethno, world music? It is impossible to fit pianist Marialena Fernandes’ and Hotel Palindrone’s music into any single genre. Between the Alpine yodel, dances from Austria and Scandinavia, traditional songs from Goa / India and classical works by Joseph Haydn, Domenico Scarlatti and Bela Bartok, the programme reflects almost the entire spectrum of musical styles. The focus lies on the discovery and re-interpretation of the interconnecting elements between classical music and traditional folk and world music. Playful but serious, full of experimentation and at the same time with great respect, using instruments such as bagpipes, hurdy-gurdy, guitar or saxophone, the five multi-instrumentalists use a language which – hopefully as defined by Joseph Haydn – is understood by everyone who is willing to go beyond borders and search something new.

Marialena Fernandes was born in Bombay, now Mumbai, India. She completed all the examinations of the Royal Schools of Music culminating with the LRSM (Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music) with distinctions, then she graduated from Bombay University with Psychology and Philosphy with First Class Honours. A scholarship given by the Austrian Ministry of Education brought her to Vienna to further her musical education at the prestigious Academy (now University) of Vienna for Music and Performing Arts. Here she attained her Diploma in Piano Performance with unanimous distinctions. Her professors were Walter Panhofer, Bruno Seidlhofer, Stanislav Neuhaus, and Tamas Vasary.

Fernandes is regularly on radio and TV broadcasts, also artistic director for several musical events in which she acts as programme curator and presentator. Her special interest goes for cross-over projects in which she lets classic meet jazz, fusions with ethnic music and international artists interpret their own compositions.

Hotel Palindrone was founded in 1995. In their early years it was Nupi Jenner, multi-instrumentalist and luthier, who strongly influenced the band’s style and sound. The repertoire focused mainly on drone-music traditions from Western Europe. In 2000 Nupi left the band to dedicate himself to building instruments and to become a teacher at the renowned instrument maker department at the Hallstatt Woodwork College. Since then Hotel Palindrone’s line-uphas not changed: Steiner-Paulus-Natterer-Morrissey.

The band’s continuous development was very successful: Hotel Palindrone were awarded several prizes at contests and for their CDs. More and more they performed at renowned festivals and concert halls. But such engagements don’t prevent the musicians from exploring new areas, from searching for new sounds and styles, and expanding their repertoire.